From the Sea, A Guardian
by AzureKate
Summary: Young Yuna is brought to Besaid after her father defeats Sin so she can live a peaceful life. She lives there with Kimahri, growing up with Wakka, Lulu, and Chappu. One day she discovers that Wakka is keeping a secret-there's an orphaned merman living just off the coast of the island. Yuna befriends this strange creature, and their relationship blossoms into something special.


The ship drifted up to the dock slowly, and the small brunette girl leaned far over the railing to look down at the sea. The waters were clear as crystal, and as blue as the sky. She could see the sand several feet down, and she could see every fish swimming by. She giggled and walked along the railing's edge, curiously following one bright red fish she had caught sight of. But she quickly lost it beneath the ship. She sighed sadly once it was gone.

"Yuna," came a deep voice from nearby. She turned to face who had called her. Standing near the door was the tall, blue-furred Ronso who had brought her onto the ship. She still was unsure of his name, she thought it started with a K—but she wasn't about to call out a random name and hope it was correct. Though he stood very tall, nearly taller than full-grown men, she knew he was young. Only a few years older than her, she was sure. His fur was not smooth and glossy like she had seen in pictures of older Ronso. His blue fur was fuzzy, and his eyes were big, and she thought he was adorable like a kitten.

He was always frowning, though.

She skipped over to him and clung to his thigh, which was well-defined even though he was very young. He stared down at her awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to make of the seven-year-old girl clinging to his leg. "Yuna, we arrive."

"To where?" she asked curiously, looking over the island they had docked at. All she could see was a beach stretching out before her. She could see an entrance into a forest toward the left of the beach, but she couldn't see where it led.

"Besaid," the Ronso replied.

"Why are we here?"

"You live here now," he said. "It is peaceful."

She smiled at him, though he did not return one. He looked away awkwardly while she still held onto his leg. Two men working on the ship lowered the small bridge onto the dock, and people began to disembark. The Ronso carefully pried the child from his leg and started to walk toward the bridge, but Yuna jumped forward and grabbed his hand. He tried to pull it free, but Yuna refused to budge, smiling up at him with a bright, cheeky smile. She heard him sigh, but he finally gave up on trying to distance himself from her, which made her happy.

They walked off the ship onto the dock together, and Yuna stared at the water. She caught a glimpse of something sparkling just under the dock's edge, and watched intently, hoping to see it again. "What was that?" she asked, tugging on the Ronso's hand. He looked down at her.

"What?"

"There was something shining over there!" she exclaimed. She pulled her hand out of his and ran down to the edge of the dock. He called after her, but she ignored him. She knelt down on the edge of the dock and leaned over the edge, trying to look under it. She caught sight of the tail of a massive light blue fish as it fled quickly away from where she was. It looked like it tried to stay under the dock, however. She giggled and stood, running down the dock back toward the Ronso. He watched her intently, like a parent—though he made no motion to stop her from running past him. She went to the other end of the dock, and leaned down to glimpse under it. Again, she saw the massive blue fish scurrying to the other end of the dock. She giggled furiously and went to run back.

"Yuna," the Ronso said, reaching out to grab her arm gently.

"What?"

"We should go," he said, tugging her toward the beach.

"But there's a really big fish under the dock. You didn't see it?"

"No big fish in Besaid."

"But I saw it!" she cried. He started to walk, pulling her with him. She sighed with defeat. At least if she was living here, she could come back. She grabbed his hand again and let him lead her onto the beach. A small group of people were emerging from between the rocks, coming from the forest onto the beach. The people who had disembarked before them had spread out on the beach, playing in the sand and water. Kids were splashing. Yuna wanted to go and play with them, but the Ronso was leading her toward the men approaching them. They were all wearing the robes of Yevonites and were clearly associated with a temple. She vaguely remembered her father talking about a temple built on Besaid Island.

They walked up to them and bowed. Yuna hid behind the Ronso, again holding onto his legs. He looked at her for a moment awkwardly, while the men from the temple tried to smile to her.

"Welcome to Besaid Island, Lady Yuna," the oldest greeted. "We're happy to have you here. We will be taking care of you from now on."

Yuna looked at them curiously but stayed behind the large Ronso. She felt safe behind him.

The Yevonites looked to the Ronso, confused. "You are not Sir Auron. We were told he was bringing Lady Yuna here."

"He not able to travel," the Ronso replied. "He send me to bring Yuna instead."

"You look quite young. How old are you?"

"15 years."

"That's too young to be caring for Lady Yuna," one of the Yevonites at the back mumbled. Several quietly voiced their agreement.

"She is here, safe, no?" he growled. "I did what asked of me."

"And for that we thank you," the oldest man said, giving another bow. "Lady Yuna will be quite safe with us. Come here, my dear. We will take care of you now."

"I want Mr. Ronso to come, too," she said, refusing to budge from her place.

"Mr. Ronso is very far from home," the man tried to explain. "He should return. People will be missing him."

Yuna looked up at the Ronso. "People will miss you? _Do_ you want to go home?"

"No home," he replied. "People not miss Kimahri."

Kimahri! That was his name. She knew it had started with a K.

"See, he said he has no home," she insisted. "So, he can live here with me, can't he?"

"Erm, the climate here hardly suits a Ronso," the old man stammered. The men behind him were mumbling adamant 'no's,' urging him to send Kimahri back to where he had come from. But Yuna refused to budge, and her eyes brimmed with tears. The old Yevonite was struck through the heart and felt a strong sympathy for her. He let out a sigh. "Whatever makes Lady Yuna comfortable."

She smiled, and her tears vanished. She took Kimahri's hand again and stepped out from behind him.

All the Yevonites looked defeated. The men at the back turned and started back toward the gap in the rocks to the forest. Yuna pulled Kimahri with her as she went to the side of the old man. He, too, turned and began to walk, leading them into the forest.

"Mister, I have a question," Yuna said as she walked between the Yevonite and Kimahri.

"Yes, Lady Yuna?" the old Yevonite asked.

"Are there any really big fish near Besaid?"

"Not that I know of," he replied. "Nothing too big comes near the beaches, anyway. Anything large stays farther out to sea."

"Kimahri said no big fish in Besaid," the Ronso reminded her. She glared up at him.

"But I _saw_ it! It was under the dock, and it was huge," she insisted. She looked ahead when she heard shouting in the distance. A group of men were jogging toward the beach; they all were shirtless, and wearing large yellow pants. Some of them carried blitzballs, and Yuna's eyes sparkled. She loved blitzball!

The Yevonites scooted to the side to let the team jog past. Yuna watched them intently as they passed. In between some of the men, boys were scattered through the group. At the back of the group, there was one boy who was lagging behind the others, struggling to run with them. He was panting, and his forehead was glistening with sweat. His hair was a bright orange, a color Yuna rarely saw in Bevelle. He slowed to a walk, breathing heavily. He was near Yuna and the others when he stopped.

He looked at them and smiled. "Hi!"

"Hello," Yuna replied gingerly.

"Move along, Wakka," the Yevonite said, urging him to continue on with the team. Wakka pouted at him before running after the others. Yuna watched him go. "Come now. We will show you to your new home." The Yevonites continued down the path into the forest, and they followed closely.


End file.
